Monday, January 28, 2008

Escape from Justice

Killer and tyrant General Suharto of Indonesia died in his bed, instead of rotting in a jail cell. Suharto, aided in his campaign to crush his opponents and rip off his country by the UK, US and in some measure, Australia, has evaded justice. But rather than denouncing Suharto, the world's politicians have been gently ambiguous to the point of being kind.

An indication that the change in government in Australia hasn't really changed the its approach to Indonesia was evidenced in Kevin Rudd's sickly euphemistic quote:

'Controversial' eh? Is that controversial like Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Pol Pot or controversial like an offside decision? What a simpering fuckwit. Rudd had an opportunity to make a break with the past and say it like it was. He didn't, and joins Hawke and Keating in a role-call of Australian prime ministers licking corrupt Indonesian backside.

He's not alone though, the United States ambassador to Jakarta Cameron Hume continued with the controversy theme, saying, "Though there may be some controversy over his legacy, President Suharto was a historic figure who left a lasting imprint on Indonesia and the region". Given that the US supplied Suharto with a list of people to bump off when he seized power in 1965 and endorsed the brutal 'annexation' of East Timor in 1975 I guess he also refers to the US government's legacy of collusion which left the lasting imprint of the hundreds of thousands of graves of those murdered.

Our own government has been fairly silent on Suharto, other than Miliband sending a message of condolence to the Indonesian government. What did it say? Sorry the murdering bastard is dead? Can we sell you some guns? And this not long after him signing Amnesty International's book marking the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights. Right on Dave, power to ya!

But Labour's support for Indonesia's oppressive regime is not new - this was the regime for whom Robin Cook sold his principles and integrity - for the price of some Hawk jet bombers. Cook got a great deal; in 1997/98, the UK was the biggest supplier of arms to Indonesia.

I suppose sooner or later evil dictator groupie Margaret Thatcher will announce her sorrow at Suharto's death (assuming someone can prise her dusty soulless bones out of her coffin), and probably dribble some barely coherent revisionist bollocks about how he turned Indonesia's economy round and fought communism. She said it about other evil bastards like Reagan and Pinochet so I think I'm fairly safe. "One of our very best and most valuable friends", she once said of Suharto. Valuable indeed - he bought a shit load of weapons off us to terrorise Indonesia and the countries he invaded.

If there was a hell, there would be a nice long hot poker reserved just for him and his back passage to become acquainted with for eternity. There isn't; instead the mass murderer and thief is being given a hero's funeral and the dubious plaudits of morally vacant politicians the world over.